History of Weddings

There lies something beyond the elegant sophistication that marks the wedding ceremonies nowadays; there was a time when it was not about walking down the aisle and courtroom dances. The earliest weddings weaved around certain phenomenon that the docile crowd today would turn against to; from Wedding by Capture to political wedding; often it comprised blood-drenched sagas, an account of which must come out in broad daylight to experience the totality of the age-old institution.

What we see today is about love and the urge to spend the rest of one’s life with a special someone, a stark contrast to the idea of politics and survival. The early days proved that a bigger tribe used to have a better protection due to the fact safety in numbers. Historians claim this is where wedding actually emerged from.

The trend of the early times was to kidnap a woman; it was the groom and some of his trusted friends or relatives who used to commit the act (the group is now represented by the Best Man and Groomsmen). The kidnapped bride was then considered the groom’s property and a member of his tribe. This was followed by the couple’s absconding for an indefinite period in order to avoid retaliation (modern day honeymoon is derived from this fact). In case the kidnapping didn’t take place, she used to be the binding factor between two tribes or high-ranking families and often used to elevate the social status for the couple.

The Medieval times witnessed the formation of laws regarding marriage; the first law was to obtain a priestly blessing. Secret wedding ceremonies were marked against the law as well and weddings among royalty and aristocracy at a tender age gained popularity because of property matters and inheritance. The Elizabethan period was the one that re-structured the set methods and started giving it the shape as we witness today. It also introduced fully the idea of bridesmaids, wedding rings and the exchange of wedding vows. However, it was not until the next few centuries that the practice of dowry was completely eradicated from the custom. But prior to that, the Victorian weddings were looked upon as more business than pleasure and included the transaction of land, money and businesses. Love was generally not an issue as marriage, though it depended upon the woman to choose her suitor.